PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC

gas_transmission Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorPIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_transmission

Location

State
Coordinates34.75496, -79.32074

Cause

CauseOTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

OPERATOR WAS IN THE PROCESS OF EXCAVATING A VALVE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DECOMMISSIONING A PIPELINE. WHILE HAND DIGGING THE VALVE, OPERATOR DISCOVERED A LEAK ON THE VALVE AFTER PARTIALLY REMOVING THE DIRT FROM AROUND THE VALVE. DECOMMISSIONING WORK WAS STOPPED AND A REPAIR OF THE LEAK WAS INITIATED. OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION THREE NEARBY HOMES WERE TEMPORARILY EVACUATED WHILE ASSESSING THE LEAK. VALVE WAS REMOVED AND LINE 88 WAS PLACED ON A SEPARATE TEMPORARY FEED. DECOMMISSIONING ACTIVITY RESUMED FOLLOWING REPAIR. ANALYSIS OF THE VALVE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE. PRIOR LEAK SURVEYS HAD NOT REVEALED A LEAK. MOST RECENT LEAK SURVEY WAS ON MAY 2023. BECAUSE THIS WAS A PINHOLE LEAK, VOLUME OF GAS RELEASED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.

About This Pipeline Incident

Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.

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